Kosovo

After the experience of Serbia, I was keen to see what Kosovo was really like. If I'm honest, I was a little nervous about heading to Kosovo. Having spoken to a couple of Serbians and a Greek guy, the overall impression was I was taking my life into my own hands by making the trip to Pristina...

The outcome was, well, a bit of a let down. I was expecting a wild frontier town, but Pristina was 'normal'. It was a bit dirty, but not to the same extent as Belgrade, and most of the infrastucture - buildings and roads - were new. The first indication of how the war affected Pristina. Outside one of the government buildings, a 100 strong photo shrine commemorated war victims - all of the 'death' dates were in 1998 or 1999.

But the most interesting thing about Pristina was the people. I can't put my finger on exactly what 'it' was, but I'm pretty sure it related to the recent one year anniversary of independence - posters everywhere shouted Bac, U Kry! which is literally Uncle, It's done! The vibe in the air was hope. Kosovans had a spring in their step and walked with purpose and direction.

In hindsight, Serbia felt tense and angry in relation to Kosovo. I can understand why but the evil Kosovo portrayed by Serbs I spoke to didn't eventuate. The world's newest nation state has evidently stepped out of the shadow of Serbia, not forgetting the struggle but keen to move forward.

And speaking of moving forward, it was time for me to move on - next stop, Skopje, Macedonia.